Let’s keep going on this series shall we? Here’s what I wrote around this time last year:

On that note, itd be an awesome honor to be invited to be a guest blogger on one of the blogs I read. Dunno if I have anything to offer, but still itd be cool.

What happened

I still think it’d be an honor to be invited but it didn’t happen. Well, that’s not entirely correct. I didn’t get a specific invitation – they have given a general invitation to all their readers to contribute (and get paid too!) – I just haven’t taken them up on it (yet).

What I learned:

Aside from the fact that I’m obviously not as in demand as a writer as I thought I was (sic), this is a good example of waiting for something to happen that needs your involvement to happen. In other words, there are some things in life that won’t happen until you take steps towards it happening. Honestly, when I wrote about becoming a guest blogger last year I wasn’t really expecting that I would get invited, it was more of a “it would be cool if..” kind of a statement. Realistically, if I really wanted to be a guest writer on ChurchCrunch I would have wrote an article and submitted it to them. They had already extended the invitation.

This made me think, “this is like our relationship with God sometimes” We pray things like, “Hey God, you know it would be really cool if you took care of my debt and blessed me with wealth” and do nothing. Sure, God could do amazing things like that, but more often than not he’s waiting for us to act on things he’s already told us to do. In other words,

you’re asking for financial blessing – how are you spending and stewarding what you have?

you’re asking for a better marriage relationship – what are you contributing to the relationship?

you’re asking for increased influence – what are you doing with the influence you already have?

you’re asking for a raise – have you been faithfully working in the job you’re doing now?

God parted the Red Sea, but Moses had to lift up the staff first. God stopped the flow of the Jordan River, but the priests had to walk into it with the Ark of Covenant first. God knocked down the walls of Jericho, but the worship team had to lead a parade around it first. God will give you a new nature, and an incredible relationship with him past the end of time, but you have to receive the gift of salvation through Christ first.

What are YOU doing with what you have?

(incidentally, today I read this article by Stephen Furtick that approached this idea from another angle, he knocks it out of the park!)

Darren, you made a killer point here!! I wonder how many times God hears a prayer and says, “Yes John, I’ve already answered that one, but it needs you to do something.” I think the word to describe praying without doing is…lazyiness. We want God to do what we are not willing to work at ourselves. Interesting thoughts you triggered. Thanks!